Kallmann’s Calling
NEWS | TUESDAY, JUNE 23 | BY FUSION STAFF WRITER, RUDOLFO CARRILLO
In this world—where we are all sentient beings trying to find a way through the complex, sometimes confusing realm called life, whether together or apart, as humans, stewards of this planet, equal members of a species whose days come and go all too quickly beneath the summer or winter sun—communication is paramount to understanding ourselves and those around us, including animals.
Vivian Kallmann communicates with the animals among us, the pets and companions with whom we share our lives on this graceful and sometimes overwhelming planet. She says what they tell her is true and profound. Now she wants to tell her fellow Homo sapiens about those conversations she has with pets, with wild beasts, with the little furry spirits of Earth.
Kallmann will present a workshop, Communicating with Animals, on Sunday, June 28, at 2:00 PM at FUSION | The Cell.
And that’s a good thing because animals of all sorts shape our lives and understanding what they mean to each of us is an important first step to finding joy and resolution in our own lives, Kallmann told this reporter.
In a conversation that was centered on compassion and marked with glimpses into the strength it takes to be gentle and kind, Kallmann and I discussed her gift as it relates to her upcoming event at FUSION.
Rudolfo Carrillo: Could you please tell me a little bit about your background, what you do? As someone who has taken care of rescue dogs most of their entire adult life and encountered a lot of joy and some tragedy engaging and befriending animals, I’m really fascinated to hear about your work.
Vivian Kallmann: I’ll just give you a little bit of foundation. When I was young, growing up, I was an artist and I always felt like I had access to information that was not really about me or from me. Things came through me. So when I started working with animals, I realized that the best way to communicate with an animal is to meet them in a place where all living things are the same, a place of love and compassion. I never really had an agenda for myself. It was always about giving them the opportunity to share what their thoughts and feelings were. Because it wasn’t about me, they trusted me and they shared everything. I believe they understood that I would translate in a way that was authentic to them, and would get the information to their people in a way that the people could understand.
So when you are working on this, what do you experience? How do you establish that link with an animal and their human caretaker? And what does that mean to you? How does that work emotionally?
Well, it’s hard to explain sometimes. I think what I’ve discovered is that when I talk to the animal’s person over the phone, the animal is likely nearby and can get a sense of who I am and what my frequency is by the way their person is responding to me over the phone. So they’re recognizing something about me by recognizing something in their human companion. Animals are dependent on us and it’s part of their survival strategy to know exactly how we’re feeling all the time because we feed them, we take care of them. So they’re very tuned into us emotionally and in almost every other way. That’s kind of how it starts. I don't really know the science behind any of this, but I’m able to make contact, as I said, in the place where we are all the same. It comes through as a conversation just like you and I are having. They just start talking to me in English and showing me things. It’s different with each animal, but our link addresses the physical, the mental, the emotional, and spiritual aspects in all of us; you relate this communication back to the owner, to the participant, to the person who has come forth with their animal. Maybe they just want to know how their animal is doing.
What are some of the things that animals tell you?
I had a client who it seemed like their animals were very happy, and they were happy, but there were certain things the animals wanted to share that they appreciated about their owners; so it isn't always about something being wrong. Oftentimes people have issues with their animals that the vets can’t diagnose or the animal has behavioral issues. These are things that we can discuss, and the animals most oftentimes have suggestions. It turns out that the humans need to make more changes than animals do. Usually it’s the other way around, or we think it’s the other way around. But the smallest thing can make a big difference to an animal.
Do you find these conversations to be informed; do animals understand what’s going on with the humans? Do animals know more than we give them credit for? Are they more intelligent than a lot of humans give them credit for?
Absolutely. They’re tuned in, especially with their senses, way more than we are. We tend to be sort of brain-oriented, and animals have brains, but they also use their senses…I mean, I have so many stories.
Walk me through one of your experiences!
The most valuable experience I ever had was when I went to Africa. When I was in the safari Jeep, a rhino came up to me and kissed me on the mouth. It’s an amazing thing, and this was a rhino that had hurt people in the past, and I just couldn’t figure out why. So we were allowed to watch the dehorning of the rhino the next day, because that’s an anti-poaching strategy. If there’s no horn on the rhino, the poachers are not going to kill the rhino. This rhino was very nervous, and his tail was clenching and unclenching, and I asked the vet if I could put my hands on the rhino to do some energy work, and I felt all this gratitude come through my body, and the tail stopped moving. So then we had to leave, and I tried to figure out why on earth did this rhino kiss me on the mouth earlier, because that’s how rhinos show affection, and I realized that this rhino knew who I was. He could sense who I was. He knew what was going to happen. He knew, and he was thanking me in advance, and it just blew me away and opened up the door of possibilities and the door of not limiting what animals want to share and how they want to share it.
That’s an amazing story! Now, could you kindly walk me through your upcoming workshop at FUSION?
Basically, everyone attending is going to get a mini-session. I’m just going to talk generally about what I do, but they’re going to bring a photograph of their animal; I get a lot of information from a photograph. It captures a moment in time. I can read what the animal’s state of being and their well-being is and has been. Participants are going to be able to ask questions and also hear from their animal. Once you hear from your animal, you can’t unhear it, and so it changes everything, changes the dynamic. It changes the bond between you and your animal. It deepens it.
How would you characterize your conversations with the animals in our lives?
I’ve had so many incredible experiences with animals, things like going to somebody’s house and the dog sat waiting at the front door for me to show up when they’ve never done that before for anybody else. Things like that are just so magical and special. With humans, you don’t get as many of those magical experiences as you do with animals, maybe because it’s unexpected with animals. The magical place where we meet, where everyone’s the same, is unconditional love.
Animal Communication Workshop with Vivian Kallmann
Sunday, June 28, 2026
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
FUSION | The Cell
700 1st Street Northwest
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Tickets here.